28 best planting pots to start your container garden
Planting pots for your garden
Whatever size of garden you have, whether it’s a small garden with just enough room for a bistro set, or a sprawling country garden with a generous patio, you're going to want some outdoor planting pots to decorate the space. You can grow practically anything in them, from eye-catching displays of spring bulbs to herbs, fruit and veg or even small trees. You can start with just a few in a compact arrangement, or work up to a full container garden full of different types of plants. These container gardens work best when pots of varying heights are used as it takes the eye on a journey and offers a sense of depth. Try mixing up textures and colours too. A terracotta pot looks more impactful when sat next to a zinc planter, or colourful plant box. There are so many weather-resistant materials and finishes used for outdoor plant pots these days that it's easy to develop a whole colour scheme before you even start thinking about what's actually going in the pots.
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Where to buy outdoor planters
All the very best garden furniture shops will carry a range of outdoor planters and sturdy pots. If you can't find the right pot in our gallery below, we recommend perusing a combination of garden centres, department stores and furniture shops. For affordable terracotta, look no further than Rowen and Wren. They have a range of sizes and shapes, from the ornate to the simple, and even a lovely wall-mounted pot, perfect if you're short on floor space. Other high street favourites, like John Lewis, OKA, Neptune and Graham & Green are great places to look for some of the best planting pots out there. Newcomers to the UK Westwing and Pottery Barn have also really impressed us this year with their offering. For more garden focused retailers, try Burford Garden Company, Garden Trading, Bramblecrest, Dobie's and Crocus.
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What is the best planter for outdoors?
There's a huge range of outdoor planters to choose from: troughs and window-boxes perfect for a few flowers, readymade raised beds for growing vegetables and cutting flowers, classic terracotta pots waiting to be filled with colour and life, and sculptural tall pots for planting trees and grasses. If you're looking for something smaller and more decorative, have a look out our shopping guide to plant pots.
What is the most durable material for outdoor planters?
As with most things in life, the more you pay, the better quality you will get in return. More affordable materials will rust quickly and general show wear and tear from long period spent outdoors. Better quality garden pots and planter boxes, such as aluminium, galvanised steel and terracotta pots will all last longer and be more durable.
What is the difference between indoor and outdoor planters?
One of the main ways outdoor planters differ from indoors ones are the presence of drainage holes. Garden planters will have them, allowing water to seep out and drain slowly. Indoor plants will not have these, for obvious reasons. If a plant pot is hardwearing enough for outdoor use but doesn't have drainage holes, you can always drill your own depending on the material the pot is made from.
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